In Kannur, residents drink sh!t every day

Highlights

With no access to Cauvery water, and the leachate treatment plant yet to be officially inaugurated, residents are forced to down this poisonous water

By Y Maheswara Reddy

The residents of Kannur are a worried lot. Garbage dumped into the Bellahalli quarry pit has contaminated its water table and made its borewell water unpotable. In the absence of Cauvery water, the residents have no other option but to close their eyes and pinch their noses and gulp down leachate-laced water that’s flowing through their town. Those residents with deep pockets, buy water from private water suppliers. But others are forced to use the polluted water, contaminated by the leachate from the nearby quarry pit.

Kannur does not come under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP’s) jurisdiction but the people here have to bear the stench and pollution from garbage dumped here from the city. Around 300 truckloads of garbage is being dumped at Bellahalli quarry pit. The wet waste generates leachate which pollutes the environment as well as the ground water.

“For over a month, we had organized a dharna last year to protest the dumping of garbage at the Mitiganahalli quarry pit. The BBMP then stopped dumping garbage but did not take measures to clean it up. As of now, there is lakhs of litres of leachate present. We want the authorities to ensure that the quarry is free from leachate,’’ says K C Nanje Gowda, a resident of Kannur village.

We have been demanding that the authorities remove the leachate from the quarry pits. We have met BBMP and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) authorities seeking a solution but in vain. They have been promising to help us but the problem persists

­–B Lokesh, a resident

What lab tests reveal

Recently, the villagers collected borewell water samples and sent them to a private laboratory. The laboratory conducted water sample analysis as per the criteria used by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)/American Public Health Association (APHA). The report found 17 total coliforms in 100 ml of borewell water and chemical oxygen demand (COD) 72 and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 9.4. The report also stated that the odor of water was disagreeable. “The report indicates that water is not potable. It is polluted with sewage,’’ says S Madhukesh of SSM Enviro Solutions.

The Bellahalli quarry pit is adjacent to the Kannur Lake which is the lifeline for groundwater in and around Kannur. The residents complain that the colour of water is almost black and there’s an undeniable stink. “We have been demanding that the authorities remove the leachate from the quarry pits. We have met BBMP and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) authorities seeking a solution but in vain. They have been promising to help us but the problem persists,’’ says B Lokesh, a resident.

A pale-coloured liquid flows from pipes in Kannur; the quality test showed very high amounts of coliform and the odour was also listed as ‘disagreeable’

The quarry is maintained by Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL). It has facilitated REWS (India) Pvt Limited to set up a plant for treating leachate more than nine months ago but the plant is yet to be inaugurated officially. “The leachate treatment plant is not treating the leachate from the nearby quarries. We came to know that BBMP authorities are sending leachate from other areas in tankers to this plant. What is the use of setting up the plant when it is not treating the accumulated leachate in these quarries?’’ asks Lokesh.

Meanwhile, REWS (India) Pvt Limited Managing Director Raghu Pillai says the plants is ready to function. “It has been established on a pilot basis. The pilot is completed. We are ready to increase the capacity from 40,000 litres to 1,20,000 litres of leachate per day. If the authorities allow us to increase the capacity, within a few months the accumulated leachate in the quarry pits can be treated. We can generate biogas from the leachate and it can be supplied to households in Kannur,’’ says Raghu Pillai.

However, BBMP Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Sarfaraz Khan has said that the BBMP has been taking measures for increasing the capacity of the leachate treatment plant. “The process is on. As of now, the plant is treating leachate from the Bellahalli quarry pit. As far as treating leachate from other landfills is concerned, this happens only once in a week,’’ Sarfaraz Khan said.

The Joint Commissioner for Solid Waste Management has said that he was not aware of polluted borewell water at Kannur. “We will take suitable action to prevent pollution of ground water in and around Kannur,’’ he said.

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